The New Class Society introduces students to the sociology of class structure and inequalities as it asks whether or not the American dream has faded. The fourth edition of this powerful book demonstrates how and why class inequalities in the United States have been widened, hardened, and become more entrenched than ever. The fourth edition has been extensively revised and reorganized throughout, including a new introduction that offers an overview of key themes and shorter chapters that cover a wider range of topics. New material for the fourth edition includes a discussion of "The Great Recession" and its ongoing impact, the demise of the middle class, rising costs of college and increasing student debt, the role of electronic media in shaping people's perceptions of class, and more.

Earl Wysong is professor of sociology at Indiana University Kokomo. He is a past president of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences and author of High Risk and High Stakes.

List of Tables and Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Class in America: The Way We Were

2 The New American Class Structure

3 The New Economy and the New Class Structure

4 The Global Economy and Class Inequalities

5 How the Middle Class Died

6 Conflicting Class Interests and Class War

7 The Invisible Class Empire

8 Political Finance: It's Money That Matters

9 Policy Planning and Classwide Lobbying

10 The Information Industry

11 Educating for Privilege: Dreaming, Streaming, and Creaming

12 The Pacification of Everyday Life

13 The Culture Industry and Pacification

14 Class in the Twenty-first Century

Bibliography

Index

About the Authors